Steven Soderbergh is one of the most interesting American directors with a really diverse body of work. His latest, ‘The Laundromat’, stars Meryl Streep as Ellen Martin, a widow who finds herself part of an insurance fraud, and tries to unravel the complex web of corruption behind it. The story ends with the release of the Panama Papers and the fallout from that event.
That description might make this sound like a companion piece to Soderbergh’s ‘Erin Brockovich’, as one woman takes on the rich and powerful. However, its stylistic touches, especially with the crooks Jurgen Mossack (Gary Oldman) and Ramon Fonseca (Antonio Banderas) popping up at intervals to explain the machinations of their nefarious schemes, make this more comparable to Adam McKay’s ‘The Big Short’. Unfortunately, it lacks the comedic value of that film, and as the story expands across continents and into various subplots, it lacks focus as well.
It does mean that a number of well known and talented actors pop-up unexpectedly. However, few of them get a chance to make an impression in their limited screen time. Of those, David Schwimmer as a fellow insurance fraud victim and Melissa Rauch as Ellen’s daughter fare best.
The ending packs somewhat of a punch, but on the whole it feels like with the subject matter and the talent behind and in front of the camera, a wasted opportunity.
Rating: 6 out of 10